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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The balmy temperatures and dry sidewalks in recent days may have led New Yorkers to forget that it is, in fact, winter.

But a frigid reminder of winter’s wrath has now arrived. CBS 2’s Lonnie Quinn said the Tri-State Area can expect the coldest air in two years in the coming days.

On Tuesday morning, Quinn said New Yorkers will wake up to air of a chilly 20 degrees, with wind chills between 0 and 5 degrees. Winds are expected to pick up and cause dangerous conditions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

On Monday, it hit 32, and Quinn said that figure is likely to be the warmest the area will see all week long.

Snow was also expected overnight, but not a major storm. Most of the Tri-State Area will see flurries and snow showers amounting to a dusting to 1 inch.

But the east end of Long Island could see up 2 to 3 inches, and the Jersey Shore could see 2 to 3 inches.

The forecast high for Tuesday is just 26, Wednesday 23, Thursday 25, Friday 31, and Saturday 27.

On Tuesday, the daytime wind chill will make it feel like 10 to 15 degrees.

The cold weather and high winds will make for a dangerous mix, Quinn warned. With temperatures well below freezing in some areas, and winds gusting up to 25 mph, frost bite can set in within 5 minutes.

Bundling up is crucial, especially for youngsters, Quinn said.

A mix of sun and clouds is expected for Wednesday, and bright sunshine for Thursday.

But on Friday, the snow will return, and if weather models continue as currently forecast, New York City will get clobbered. Between 3 and 6 inches of snow are expected to fall in the city, Quinn said.

The next day the forecast calls for a high even above freezing is Monday of next week, when the high is expected to hit 35.

But if the frigid conditions get you down, just remember – it’s all relative. In Chicago, WBBM-TV, CBS 2 Meteorologist Steve Baskerville reported the overnight low for Monday night was expected to drop to minus 1 in the city and minus 5 in some some areas, and on Tuesday, the high was expected to hit just 9 degrees. Wind chills were expected to bottom out at minus 15 to minus 25 overnight.

The story was even worse in Minnesota, where WCCO-TV Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak reported the coldest wind chill dropped to minus 54 Sunday night and early Monday morning in the town of Grand Marais. The forecast low for Minneapolis-St. Paul Monday night is minus 17 – air temperature – and the forecast high for Tuesday is a mere 3 degrees.